2.3 Current agriculture supplies and products

Sugar, oil, starch, fibre

Cereals and grains 32% billion of tonnes worldwide

What crop de we produce the most globally in the world?

increased inputs to grow billion ton scale of agriculture is increasing the use of what?

Pesticides

what is the region with the largest pesticide use?

Americas

Inorganic fertilizers used and the highest region

Nitrogen

Phosphorous

Potassium

Asia is the largest user

What are sugar crops used for?

Producing sugar, ethanol (biofuel), and materials such as bio-polyethylene.

What are the key characteristics of sugar cane?

• A perennial grass grown mainly in tropical climates.

• It is replanted periodically using pieces of its stalks and contains about 10–15% sugar by weight.

What are the key characteristics of sugar beets?

• An annual crop grown in cooler climates than sugar cane.

• It is propagated by seeds and contains about 13–18% sugar by weight.

What are the key characteristics of sweet sorghum?

• A high-sugar variety of sorghum grown in temperate climates.

• About 75% of the plant is juice, with sugar concentrations of 12–23% in the juice.

How do sugar cane, sugar beets, and sweet sorghum differ?

• Sugar cane: perennial, tropical, 10–15% sugar by plant weight.

• Sugar beets: annual, cooler climates, 13–18% sugar by plant weight.

• Sweet sorghum: temperate climates, 75% juice, with 12–23% sugar in the juice.

Sucrose

Compound containing a glucose molecule connected to a fructose molecule.

Sucrose extracted from sugar beets and sugar cane; achieved by:

Soaking to extract sugar

Sugar beets area harvested, world production, and top producers:

area harvested → ~4M ha

world production → ~300M

top producers: France, Russia, USA

Yields are increasing

Sugar cane area harvested, world production, and top producers:

area harvested → ~25M ha

world production → ~2,000 M

top producers: Brazil, India, China (wet areas)

Oil crops

Annual or perennial plants grow mainly for oils obtained from their seeds, fruits, mesocarp (fleshy fruit layer), or nuts.

In what form are oils from oil crops usually found?

Mainly as triglycerides or fatty esters.

What are the main uses of oil crops?

Edible oils and industrial oils used to manufacture products.

Which oil crop is the most important, and how much is produced?

Soybeans — 348 million tonnes (Mt)

Which oil crops are also cultivated for their fibres?

Linseed (from flax) and hempseed.

What is the oil extraction rate from oil palm fruit bunches?

About 17–27% for palm oil.

What are the production figures for canola and oil palm ?

Canola (rapeseed): 75 Mt.

Oil palm: 272 Mt.

Name examples of oil crops.

Soybeans

olives, linseed

castor beans

sunflower

rapeseed (canola)

oil palm

cottonseed

hempseed.

World plant oil production from different sources

→ World production of vegetable oils by main commodities where the largest accounts for:

oil, palm 37% of production

Main producers of oil, palm

Malaysa, Thailand, Indonesia

What two plant oils does Canada lead the world in production?

Linseed

Canola/Rapeseed

For biodiesel and cooking

Linseed/flaxseed area harvested, world production, and top producers:

cotton like fibers
area harvested → ~3M ha (2024)

world production → ~3 M(2024)

top producers: Canada, China

Rapeseed area harvested, world production, and top producers:

area harvested → ~30M ha (2024)

top producers: China

Why is oil palm an important source of fats?

Its fruit produces palm oil, an important source of vegetable fats used worldwide.

How does oil palm compare with soybean and rapeseed in productivity?

oil palm can be about 10 times as productive per plant as soybean or rapeseed.

How much farmland does oil palm use compared with its share of global vegetable oil supply?

It uses about 5% of farmland devoted to vegetable oil production but supplies about 38% of the global vegetable oil supply.

Why is oil palm's high productivity considered beneficial for food security?

It produces a large amount of oil using relatively little land, potentially reducing the land needed to produce vegetable fats.

What type of crop is oil palm, and why does that matter?

It is a perennial crop, meaning it lives and produces for multiple years rather than being replanted every year.

Oil palm Fruit area harvested, world production, and top producers:

area harvested → ~30 M ha (2024)

world production → ~30 M(2024)

top producers: Indonesia

Palm oil uses

Cosmetics, food, detergents, and fuel

Comparison of some “yields” and input requirements